Tablets overtake phones for iPlayer requests

BBC iPlayer saw more requests on tablet devices than on mobile phones for the first time in March, with mobile and tablet viewing together now accounting for over 30% of overall requests, according to the latest figures for the catch-up TV service revealed by the BBC.

Tablets and phones accounted for 81 million views overall in March, with tablets accounting for 41 million requests.

Radio plays were up significantly, growing by 7% to reach 72 million requests, 83% of which was accounted for by live listening.

Overall, iPlayer received 200 million TV requests and 72 million radio requests in March, up on February and on a par with the previous total requests record month of January, which saw 212 million TV requests and 61 million radio requests. Usage on other devices has remained relatively stable over the first three months of the year, with computers accounting for 47% of overall requests and 39% of TV requests in March.